The Ghost Ship
by helmetic
Summary: Thor and Loki (equivalent of something about 14-16 years old) go on another adventure. They steal a boat and go to fight pirates and stuff. It was supposed to be only about two brothers on an adventure, but my friend, who also kindly helped me to correct this story, suggested me to write in some porn. Or at least some other thorki stuff. I could not turn this proposition down.


"It's your fault!"

"_My_ fault? Dear brother, and whose weak skills got us into this?"

"Do you even know how hard it is to keep a mirage as big as that one?"

"Are you going to lecture me about technicalities of your stupid spells now?"

"Anything to make you suffer, you overgrown idiot."

Thor heard about it from two guards he was friends with. Ragnar and Floki were their names, both of them relatively young and sometimes it truly showed in their carelessness. Were they in the service longer, they would probably know better than to spill news like that to their hot headed prince.

"They say the ship is unusually big, but all wrecked, Your Highness. She looks as if rotten to the core, the mast barely standing and the sail ripped," Ragnar said, gesturing, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.

"And I heard she's all black, the sail too, but the prow is a white goat skull," Floki added.

"Probably a real one, too, Your Highness."

"Yes, the skull of some enormous, monstrous goat!"

And so they went on talking. And first thing His Highness did after they were done with depicting the horror which has reportedly appeared on the sea was to run to the western tower, to his brother's chambers. The younger prince did not as much as raised his head as the door swung open. He was busy with some leather bound, very old looking book. Centuries of living with his brother made him accustomed to sudden interruptions and other events as such, unwelcomed if it were anyone but Thor to cause them.

"Have you heard, brother?" Thor asked, sitting beside him on the bed covered with furs. "A ghost ship on our sea! It's almost... brave of them, you have to admit".

"I have heard," said Loki, turning the page of his book.

"And you said nothing to me?" the older brother asked, accusation ringing in his tone.

A shrug was Loki's only answer. Of course, he was doing it deliberately. All that indifference was only for show, to annoy his brother a little, as it was one of Loki's favorite ways to spend time. And somehow, despite the fact that they played this little game at every occasion, Loki was quite sure that his brother was still not aware it was only a game at all.

In fact, when Loki heard the rumors about the phenomena, he immediately thought that Thor would want to take a closer look - or a good swing with his hammer at it, and that it might be a great adventure.

"Ragnar and Floki said that all the crew is skeletons and rotten corpses, but surprisingly strong for dead bodies. A real danger for all travelers and the villages along the shore..."

"I'm sure father will send someone to take care of it," Loki said, but he did put his book down. "If it is true, of course".

But Thor caught a spark of boyish enthusiasm in his brother's green eyes, this little flickering light he had been waiting for. He knew the battle was won.

"We could take one of the boats from the haven..."

"We could borrow one, you mean," his brother corrected. "And we wouldn't really even need one if you were able to keep the course of the flight- "

"Yes, this is precisely what I mean" Thor did not let him finish. He did not feel like listening how unsteady his flying with Mjolnir was again and he certainly did not want to be reminded of that one trip that ended on a tree.

"Because we are surely going to return it undamaged."

Loki hid his amusement as he watched Thor frown, annoyance at being pointed out such uninteresting, trivial details and guilt mixing in his gaze. Knowing how their shared adventures always went, there was no way for the boat to get out without a scratch.

"If something goes wrong..."

"_When_ something goes wrong..."

"...we will repay the owner."

"Oh, I'm sure father will make us," Loki agreed.

But neither the experience of their previous ventures nor the threat of a punishment could scare them away. The promise of a sea battle, of fighting ghosts and monsters was much too alluring.

They toyed with an idea of inviting some of their friends - but in the end without any discussion, without exchanging any words at all - they decided against that, none of them realizing the reason. If they thought about it, maybe they'd come up with excuses such as: "the more people, the more noise" or "we don't want to get anyone else in trouble", the latter being an awful lie. But truth be told, they simply liked to go on adventures together, just the two of them, just sometimes. Only then there was no "Your Highnesses", not even those unspoken, silent ones hidden in their friends' tones. There were only "you idiots" and "shut ups".

Sneaking out of the castle was an art they mastered long time ago. It's been ever so easy since Loki was getting better and better at creating illusions and of course they both knew the corridors - including the secret passages - by heart.

They met in Thor's chamber (which had significantly less books and a whole lot more of mess in it than Loki's). Midnight has just passed; the noise of the castle was slowly dying out. Loki closed the thick wooden door noiselessly behind him.

"No one saw me, it's safe to go," he informed his brother.

Thor, who was impatiently looking out the window, turned to his brother with a wide smile on his face. All day he had spent thinking of what awaited them this night. It was much harder for him to pretend he is not up to anything than it was to his little brother, as he was much worse at keeping emotions to himself. It was always rather easy to see through him but luckily only Loki was able to read his mind without the need to use magic. Otherwise their plans would always fall through in the very beginning.

"Stop grinning like an idiot, you need to keep a straight face," Loki scolded him. "My illusions can only go as far."

"I'm sorry" he said, the smile still on his lips. "I just..."

Loki rolled his eyes and then closed them for a moment. His lips moved silently as he was casting a spell. Thor smiled again, thinking his little brother is getting better in a very fast pace. The day he was just starting out his magical studies he had to say the spells out loud and now - just look at him! Thor felt proud.

"Done," the dark haired prince declared.

"Oh".

Reflexively he looked at his hands and instead of the big, manly and strong ones he saw a pair of feminine, long fingered hands. Next he noticed a long flowy dress made of grey fabric, gently falling at small feet.

Thor let out a groan and Loki let out a chuckle.

"Do you really have to do this?"

"It's necessary."

"Turn me into a guard or something, everything will be better than a maid again..."

"You know they all know each other and it could end ugly. And, as sad as it is for the girls emptying your chamber pot, the maids go around the castle unnoticed, unless of course they have big breasts. That's why I made yours small," he smiled.

Thor took a deep breath, casted his brother one more angry look but protested no more. He knew it was useless – they had this discussion almost every time.

Loki built up an illusion for himself too, but somehow it wasn't really all that amusing for Thor to see him as a girl, because he himself became a girl first.

They got out of the western tower with no trouble, not counting Thor constantly reaching to his nonexistent breasts and walking awkwardly, trying not to step on the just as nonexistent long dress and Loki trying not to laugh. They made their way to the kitchens, which were already empty, or maybe still empty, as the kitchen would gradually start to get crowded with cooks and kitchen wenches before the dawn. Some of the supplies were laid out on the long tables already and when the two brothers strolled down along them both of them snatched a little treat for themselves.

They were just getting out of the castle, stepping out into the brisk cold air of the night, when an unexpected interruption occurred.

"Stealing, ladies?" asked one of the guards.

Thor and Loki, surprised to hear him speak out, turned around. The man was pointing at an apple Thor was holding. The older prince looked at it too, with guilt and anxiety, worried they're going to be caught now.

"Why would you accuse us of stealing, sir?" Loki asked in an offended manner.

"Well, you are stepping out of the kitchen, aren't you, ladies," he pointed out, sauntering up to them.

"It's not a proof of anything at all, sir. So if you allow us..."

But Loki did not get to finish his sentence, because his mouth dropped upon the view of his older brother being held by the arm, not the way a guard holds a culprit or a prisoner, but this other way... Thor, too, looked puzzled at the face leaning down to his, smiling. Then they both understood what was happening and Thor's face flushed, hot and red, and he wished Loki would stop laughing in his thoughts because he felt as if he could hear it.

"You misunderstood me, ladies, I mean you no harm and certainly I am not going to make a fuss over a pair of apples... But it is a crime nevertheless and you should go with me now..."

Thor palms itched and anger took him over, but before he did as much as raised his hand, Loki spoke again, knowing his brother was about to spoil their cover.

"Good sir, my friend would love to do that surely, but unfortunately she has no time. We have been sent by Lady Frigga to attend some of her business, private _lady_ matters" he said the word "lady" as if it explained everything. "But she will gladly visit you on our way back..."

The sweetness of Loki's voice made Thor feel ill, but at least it was enough to hold his anger back.

Loki placed his hand over the guard's, still resting on Thor's shoulder, smiling. He leaned to the man and said quietly:

"If you want, we will both pay you a visit..."

The guard blinked, let out a quiet, but full of understanding "oh" and he let go of Thor's arm. Thor had enough sense and managed to smile the same way as Loki, with a sweet promise in his eyes.

"See you in a few hours, then?" he asked, hating himself.

"Right. I will be looking forward to your..."

Loki grabbed Thor's hand and dragged him away. As they walked, Thor could still feel the lusty gaze on his back and it made him walk stiffly.

No sooner than they reached a safe distance, Loki burst out laughing.

"I am so sorry, brother, my spell..."

"Shut up, Loki."

"And to think I have deliberately picked an average, flat-chested girls..."

"Shut up. And if you ever mention it to anyone..." he let the silent threat tell his little brother everything. "But why was he looking at me this way! Does he think I am an object to grab and take wherever he wants?!"

"Oh, look who's talking."

"What? I have never, I... Have I?"

"Please, you treat everyone like an object yours to take and do whatever you please with it."

Thor frowned and looked at Loki, who snorted, seeing guilt in his eyes yet again. It was so easy to drive him into this feeling. Any feeling at all, actually.

"Next time I see you staring at Sif's freshly grown tits I will punch you, if you wish."

"Yes, maybe you should do that before she does. She beats harder," Thor murmured.

Loki punched him in the ribs, but Thor only laughed.

He still shuddered with disgust at the memory of the guard as they walked down to the haven.

The view was breath-taking. The dark waters of the sea mirrored the amazing Asgard's sky and everything seemed to flicker with starlight as the waves moved gently. The dim moonlight enhanced small boats and big, impressive ships with shining dragon heads as their prows. There was always some life, some movement here, as travelers came and went, but the scene seemed peaceful nonetheless. The brothers smiled to the sound of the sea calling them.

A castle maid wasn't exactly an expected view around here, so Loki changed the illusion and made them look like common fishermen, much to Thor's relief.

"Which one?" he asked, as he and Loki stopped to look around the smaller boats.

Stealing –well, borrowing - one of them was not expected to be a challenge. At this hour there was no fishermen at sight, since they tended to set sail at dawn and return shortly after dusk.

Loki shrugged, his face contorted in disgust.

"The closest one, I guess. It really smells like fish in here..."

"You can stop pretending to be a lady now, Loki."

Loki made a face at amused Thor and set off to the landing stage.

Looking around to make sure no one saw them they cut the rope securing the boat (Thor first wanted to simply untie it, but the first glance at the knot made him change his mind) and got on board. Each of the brothers grabbed an oar and, careful to not make much noise, off they went.

They kept silent until they were far enough to feel safe. When the lights of the harbor were nothing but small sparks in the distance, they put down the oars, looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"A sea adventure, brother! Now that's a new one!"

"Finally, because honestly, fighting trolls got boring a while ago and..."

"They smell awfully, is that it?" Thor snorted.

"I suppose it doesn't make a difference to you."

"What? Really, Loki, this joke is older than father's beard..."

"Then maybe it is time for you to take the advice(,)" Loki suggested and ducked before the oar could hit him.

When they were done with the teasing, Loki pulled out the maps he had taken from the library and conjured a small orb of weak, bluish light to study them closely.

"So the last time the ship was seen was..."

"Around here," Thor put his finger where a small archipelago was drawn.

"It's not that far. If we put up the sail and the wind doesn't fail us..."

"There is no wind at all, it seems," Thor said.

Loki raised his head.

"So it seems. Congratulations, you have become more perceptive under my guidance. Well, in that case..."

Thor frowned as his little brother handed him both oars.

"Are you not going to help me?"

"Somebody has to keep an eye on the course."

"Of course."

"From now on, call me captain."

They didn't talk much and Thor was glad Loki didn't feel chatty, because after a while rowing got a bit tiring. Not that he would ever admit it. Concentrating on not showing any signs of weakness, Thor moved the oars steadily, his gaze set on nowhere in particular. After a while he noticed that this nowhere was actually his brother, sitting with a map, a compass in hand and the little orb floating near his head. The blue light made Loki's face even paler than usual and it made Thor think again of how different they were.

He was not the type to read books or think much at all, nor waste his time on deep reflections, unlike his brother, but something about his and Loki's appearance did make him wonder. Thor himself was very tall as for his age, with broad shoulders, thick-built and fit thanks to years and years of training; his hair was golden, eyes warm blue and his skin always tanned from spending most of the time outdoors. Loki was shorter by a head, with narrow hips and broad shoulders too, but much more slender. There was something graceful about him. He had a strong jaw, but the rest of his features was rather delicate, and in this pretty face of his two emerald green eyes shining with intelligence. Their personalities were the exact opposites too - Thor was always eager to start a fight or try something new, painfully stubborn and he rarely thought of the consequences of his own actions; he laughed loudly and made himself the center of the events wherever he went. Loki, however, was always calm, always thinking about something, everything, always able to get what he wanted with patience and planning rather than violence. He was the quiet, observing type, the dark figure in the shadows. Thor felt it meant something, it simply must have, the way they perfectly completed each other, as if they were truly meant to come to the world together. He first noticed it during the fight practice, maybe because it was that one thing he truly understood and _felt_. He was the better warrior, bigger, stronger, tougher and simply talented. Yet, even though Loki was physically weaker, less daring and a bit lacking in skill, their sparings were always the longest ones. It was as if Loki could foresee every single one of his brother's moves. And so they danced around the grounds, attacks and blocks and dodges perfectly coordinated.

"You're staring. And smiling." Thor snapped out of his contemplation upon hearing brother's voice. "Are you planning to throw me into the water?"

"Damn you, I was."

Loki looked at him, giggling quietly.

"I will always be one step ahead of you, don't you know that, you big idiot?"

"I do, Loki."

"That's... Wait, why did you stop... Oh, you didn't."

"What?"

Loki kneeled and leaned to the side of the ship.

"I don't think we're moving at all. Look."

Thor put down the oars and kneeled beside his brother. He understood what Loki meant immediately. The water was perfectly still, not a single wave breaking the dark surface. The sea looked like a lake now.

"Huh..? What's going on?"

Loki reached down and touched the surface with just the tips of his fingers and suddenly a greyish, swollen hand grabbed his wrist. Loki gasped and if it wasn't for Thor grasping him the same moment, he would have fallen overboard. Whatever it was, it's pull was very strong and Thor had to push Loki to the side of the ship hardly being able to hold him and search for weapon simultaneously. Mjolnir was not fit for the task, as Thor could accidentally damage the boat with it.

"Come on, faster!" yelled Loki.

"Shut up, I...!"

He remembered Loki carried throwing knives, a weapon he was very fond of, so he groped for it, pulled it out of the sheath and, pushing Loki even harder, he managed to stab the wrist of the monster which seized his brother. Feeling the pull growing weaker for a second, Thor pushed himself off the side of the boat with his feet, embracing his brother. They landed on the board, one of top of the other, as the wounded hand let go.

Loki rolled over, catching his breath. A moment later he looked at his older brother with disapproval.

"You almost choked me to death, Thor."

"Would you prefer to take a swim with whatever it is down there?" he asked, getting up as the boat slowly stopped rocking. The sea was still unnaturally calm and there was no sign of the monster. "Do you think it was one of the pirates? It looked rather... dead."

"Nah." Loki sat up, pulling his black hair out of his eyes. "I read about something similar once, I think this is what the sailors and fishermen call the white sea."

"And what is that?" Thor was still watching the still surface, ready for a fight. Looking forward to a fight.

"The sea goes as still as a lake on a windless day and you cannot move, no matter how hard you work the oars, and you cannot be found by any passing ship, even if you are certain it is a commonly used seaway. There are probably corpses of those who died at sea underneath our boat. They got a hold of us and now we have to... No, Thor, you idiot, wait until I'm finished, alright?!" he said quickly, seeing his brother stripping of his cape and ready to dive. "We have to wait!"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, the book said it's no use to fight the dead, because even if you rip a head of one off, another will come and I am sure there is enough of dead people in these waters for you to keep fighting until dawn. If you won't drown by then, that is."

Thor's face showed what he thought of a plan so boring as this one.

"Sit down and wait. They will go away if we show them we don't mind them, I think."

Thor groaned and sat down on the board beside Loki.

"Maybe I could move us with a good storm..."

"NO! You almost crashed my ribs today, don't try to drown me now, too."

They fell silent as they were recalling the events that followed the last storm Thor had decided to bring. Luckily, no one but a few trees was injured, but Thor did learn he does not control the weather as well as he thought he could.

"So... what are we doing now?"

"I don't know," Loki sighed and slipped down to lay on the board, facing the sky.

A few seconds later Thor did the same and, as much as he was bored, he couldn't help but smile gently at the beauty of the view.

"Do some magic."

"Have some respect for the ancient art."

"Do some magic," he demanded again, poking Loki on the ribs. He was awfully ticklish.

"Agh!" Loki casted an offended look at him, but he smiled a second later, eager to show off his skill. "Alright. Look..."

Thor observed as the magical lights, highlights and shadows were chasing each other on Loki's face. His little brother created colorful see-through warriors and made them play out a battle they both knew from their history lessons. The show was awe-inspiring, yet Thor found himself distracted after a while.

Loki was smiling. Thor knew all the kinds of smiles Loki had in his repertory. The mysterious one, the cheeky one, the mean, the sarcastic, the cold, the warm, the gentle one and many more. But this one, this one was Thor's favorite. It was wide, full of happiness and excitement, proud… Beautiful.

Loki noticed Thor's eyes were not laid where they should quickly.

"Are you even looking? You're the one who wanted me to do some magic," he pointed out, turning his face to Thor. "Hey, you big idiot!"

Thor did not answer, only smiled gently. This seemed to have disturbed Loki a bit. The moving images disappeared into thin air.

"Brother?" he tried again but after that he did not break the silence that fell on them. With no wind, no sound of the waves it was as if they could hear each other hearts beating. If only they listened closely.

Thor raised his hand and pulled black as night hair out of Loki's face. His touch was tender and when he pulled his hand back the tips of his fingers stroked Loki's cheek lightly.

Loki's heart was racing and at the same time his lungs refused to work properly. For the first time since he could remember he did not know what to think. He opened his mouth to whisper his brother's name, but before he could make out a sound, Thor spoke:

"Do the tits thing."

Loki opened his eyes widely and for a second he forgot to breath out.

"_The tits thing,_" he hissed.

Then they both broke out with laughter.

Loki woke up first. The darkness was already fading, navy blue brightening into grey. The younger prince sat up and grinned, feeling the wind on his face. He shook his brother's shoulder and got up on his feet, letting go of Thor's cape which they used as a cover when it got cold fall on the board.

"Wake up, Thor, the white sea's gone!"

Thor yawned loudly and sat up too, pulling his tangled hair from his face. After a few hours of sleep on the hard wooden board in the cold he felt rather stiff, but the moment he too felt the touch of the wind on his skin, he smiled.

"Oh, you're right. Finally!"

"I hope those ghostly pirates turn up soon, because in a few hours our absence will probably be discovered."

After a few trials and errors, they managed to get the sail up. The wind was not too strong, but even a slow movement felt like a big change.

Standing up, Thor gazed into the horizon, squinting as the morning sun slowly emerged from the dark waves. With the wind in his hair, caressing his cheeks, he felt his blood rushing, his heart beating stronger in his chest. He felt joy, the wonderful joy of absolute freedom, which sweet taste must have tempted so many to abandon the land forever. He glanced at his little brother and he knew that even though Loki knew the joy of flying thanks to his brother's kindness, in this very moment he felt the same. The cold wind made his pale cheeks turn red and the emerald green eyes shined somehow brighter.

"Look!" he exclaimed suddenly, pointing his finger at the horizon. "Look, Thor, the black sail!"

Thor turned his eyes into the same direction and he laughed.

"I must be the ship! Quick, Loki, the spell!"

Loki shut his eyes and murmured something indistinctively. His quiet voice sounded melodious. Thor looked around with wonder, truly amazed with what was happening in front of his eyes.

The boat was changing. Her sides grew taller, the board longer. First he could see through the wood, but after a few moments it darkened and became solid. The sail seemed to be swelling and when it reached its new impressive size, Odin's coat of arms appeared on it. The prow grew longer and formed into a dragon's head, rubies as its eyes. Loki's chanting became louder and his eyelids fluttered and then a true miracle happened – warriors appeared on board, seven or eight of them, all with the same face, but moving like real people.

Finally Loki opened his eyes. With a tired look on his face, he smiled at his brother's dropped jaw.

"Loki, that's…"

"The mist," Loki interrupted him, turning his eyes to the west again.

Thick white mist approached them slowly and the black ship seemed to be its source. The distance between them and the pirates was shrinking fast and the closer they were, the darker the morning sky became.

"They're going to fight my warriors, they are bigger and better armed and more of a threat to them. Seize this opportunity, Thor," Loki advised him. The soldiers were walking around the board completely silent.

"You don't need to worry about that," Thor grinned, grabbing his hammer. "Are you all right? You look tired."

"It's nothing" Loki assured him, unsheathing a long dagger. He, too, smiled and the sincerity of it made Thor stop worrying.

The darkness swallowed them.

"For Asgard!"

The ship was just as big as they imagined it from the stories. It was damaged, the mast wobbling dangerously as if it was to break and fall any minute, the sides scratched and full of holes, the black sail torn. The only thing seemingly untouched was the goat skull on the prow.

The black ship hit theirs and hooks bit into the side's wood. The pirates hopped on the board immediately and the smell of death filled Thor and Loki's nostrils.

The crew was just as damaged as their ship. They were skinny like skeletons or swollen like floaters, skin greyish or greenish, peeling off on some. They wore rags, wet, dirty and ripped and the weapons they hold did not really look like a threat – the blades blunt and rusty. And even though not all of them had eyes in their sockets, they located their prey perfectly.

As the pirates came at the illusionary warriors, Thor and Loki attacked too, yelling wildly.

"Aim for the head! For the head!" Loki yelled and with one clean cut he almost decapitated a lanky corpse swinging a big sword.

Attacking the magical warriors, the pirates made disgusting noises as if they were choking, fighting for every breath. That and Mjolnir's swishes and blows and metal clinking made the fight very loud. For a moment the dead seemed confused, because their opponents kept flickering when hit, some of them fading slightly, and their blows were not to be felt at all. Loki could only keep the illusion up for that long and his soldiers started disappearing into thin air one by one. The pirates roared in unison, about to concentrate their efforts on the two princes, and Thor roared back almost as loud, with a single blow shooting down an ugly pirate head. Faced with so many enemies, the brothers found each other on the board and stood back to back. Somehow every time Thor took a wide swing with his hammer, Loki managed to duck just on time, agile as always.

"Who are you trying to kill?!" he yelled, dodging yet another blow.

"Apologies!" Thor kicked a dead (and still) body out of his way.

They had to split up again and Thor noticed that the big ship Loki conjured started to shrink again as he tried to lean against a thinning side. He almost fell into the water and lost his balance and concentration. He looked up again just in time to see a throwing knife disappearing deep into the eye of a pirate who was just about to swing a sword at Thor.

"You're welcome, brother!" Loki yelled as Thor pushed the defeated warrior into the sea.

Soon they found each other again and just as Thor was about to laugh about how easy the fight was, Loki screamed, shocked. Thor glanced quickly in the same direction and he sweared so ugly his mother would give him the Look and probably the Talk. The bodies were falling into the water as the board was dissolving. The ship was not only returning to its originalsize, but also disappearing as a whole.

"Loki!"

"Shut up, Thor!"

The wood beneath their feet became transparent and they could see the dark depths of the sea. And the next they knew they were _in_ the sea.

Unprepared, Thor dived quite deeply, pulled by all his weapons' weight, but soon he got himself together and swam up. He broke the surface, catching a breath and spitting salty water and quickly looked around.

"Loki!"

Not seeing his brother anywhere near in the chaos of waves, corpses and unnatural darkness, he dived, but it was too dark to see anything. Thor felt panic – a feeling so strange and new to him – creeping up his throat.

_No, don't panic, it will only make it worse_.

He surfaced again, ready to catch another deep breath and dive into the cold darkness, but then he heard Loki's voice.

"Thor!"

The relief that came over him was so great he felt all his muscles relax for a moment. Laughing, he looked in the direction the voice came from, but the laughter died immediately. Loki was just floating on the surface, safe and sound, and then suddenly he disappeared into the water with a shocked expression on his face. Something had pulled him down.

Thor plunged into the sea, letting Mjolnir take him there faster, breaking the masses of water. In the pitch-black darkness he felt something touching him and a hand grabbed his wrist. He _knew_ it was seized his brother and the same second an orb formed beside their faces. The light showed Thor where the enemy was, a pirate almost naked, swollen, with face twisted with rage and hatred. He could not reach him with his hammer, so he kicked the disgusting face once and then twice; the soft flesh and weak bones crushed easily under his foot and Loki managed to free himself from the deadly grasp.

They surfaced, coughing and desperately inhaling the blessed air. Thor calmed himself first, as he had the opportunity to take a deep breath before diving and Loki was just pulled under water. He was still embracing his brother, now more gently, letting him rest his head on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked when Loki's breathing became regular.

"Yes, yes. Just tired."

"Good. You scared me."

"Then you are very easily scared," Loki laughed and his laughter turned into coughing again. "Uh, I drank half of the sea, I think."

Still leaning a hand on Thor's shoulder, Loki turned to look at the black ship. It was still floating, but the darkness was starting to retreat, giving the sky up to the sun back again. The ghost-ship could not exist without its crew.

"Well, we have done it, brother."

"A victory, yes," Thor grinned, just now reminded there was any battle to be won.

"But it's hard to celebrate while floating in the middle of the sea. It's your fault!"

"_My_ fault? Dear brother, and whose weak skills got us into this?"

"Do you even know how hard it is to keep a mirage as big as that one?"

"Are you going to lecture me about technicalities of your stupid spells now?"

"Anything to make you suffer, you overgrown idiot."

Just as Loki was trying to force his brother's head under the water again, he noticed some shapes appearing on the horizon.

"Uh, I guess your stupid guard friends told everything to father. He's already here."

The impressively sized ship approached them in no time. Their father's face showed over the ship's side and it was expressing anything but pride of his son's amazing victory. The man kept looking at the boys for a long while, saying nothing and not making any effort to help them aboard.

"Father…" Loki started, but was interrupted.

"Not a word," Odin snapped.

He thrown the rope ladder at them and it seemed he was aiming for the heads and only missed by a few inches.

Loki grabbed it first and made his way aboard. Soon both Odinsons were standing in front of their father, water dripping from their clothes.

"Have I not told you…"

As the scolding went on, Thor smirked at his brother and Loki smirked back.


End file.
